Township gets petition accusing primate sanctuary of animal cruelty

Darwin

(BROCK) A petition sent to Brock Township councillors accusing Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary of animal cruelty is a tactic to discredit the operation by supporters of Darwin, better known as “the Ikea monkey,” according to Mayor Terry Clayton.
The petition, with some 116 typed 'signatures,' was hand-delivered to council members’ homes Wednesday (Jan. 2) evening and calls for municipal officials to launch a "full investigation" on the sanctuary's operation.
"I'm not even sure that this is a legal petition," Mayor Clayton said in an interview Friday.
"There are no signatures, only a list of typed names and the city they live in. In my mind, that's not a petition."
Darwin’s owner, Toronto lawyer Yasmin Nakhuda, launched a lawsuit Dec. 14 in a bid to have the monkey, which is not a legal pet in the city, returned to her. The macaque used to eat, sleep and shower with her, she said, and she’s concerned their bond could be weakening.
A judge ordered the monkey to stay at the sanctuary just days before Christmas. The case will be back in court later this month.
On Thursday afternoon, a posting on a Facebook page called Darling Darwin Monkey indicated that the petition had been delivered to the Township, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA), and the Charities Directorate of the Canadian Revenue Agency, requesting “an investigation in several allegations of cruelty, hoarding, manipulation, lack of experience and abuse of their charitable status by the Sanctuary.”
It’s unclear if those involved with the Facebook group circulated the petition, though the posting does indicate that Ms Nakhuda and her family are supporting the effort.
The petition was e-mailed to the Brock Citizen on Friday morning, but did not include any contact information for the person that sent it.
Mayor Clayton said the man who delivered the petition wouldn’t identify himself but was upfront about why it was being presented.
“They’re trying to discredit (the sanctuary), and he said it was what they were trying to do,” Mayor Clayton told the Toronto Star.
“Their allegations are far from accurate.”
While the bulk of the names on the petition hail from the GTA, Mayor Clayton noted that more than two dozen Americans and several Manitoba residents have also signed in support.
"I doubt that any of these people have even been to the sanctuary before," he noted Friday.
"They just want that monkey back with its owner."
The sanctuary is currently in the process of obtaining a license under the Township's exotic animal bylaw, which was enacted in early 2012.
"This petition will have no bearing on the licensing process," Mayor Clayton said.
"If the sanctuary meets all requirements of the bylaw, we will be issuing a license."
Brad Dewar, spokesperson for the OSPCA, said that as of late Thursday afternoon, the petition had not been delivered to its office. The OSPCA can’t begin an investigation without first interviewing a witness to the alleged misconduct, he said.
“Petitions are great for identifying concerns, but from an investigation standpoint, we need eyewitnesses to come forward to engage in an investigation,” he said.
“Otherwise it’s assumptions.”
With notes from Scott Howard